Love stories and Lionel Messi – the week in art

The secrets of couples who’ve been together for over 50 years, and the World Press Photo winners ... plus art-world record breakers, a fake soul superstar, and the explosive relaunch of the Whitworth Art Gallery – in your weekly art dispatch

Masterpiece of the week

Saint Francis in Meditation (1635-39) by Francisco de Zurbarán. Photograph: National Gallery Collection/Corbis

Saint Francis in Meditation (1635-39) by Francisco de ZurbaránThis is one of the most eerily compelling works of art you’ll ever see. It has to be experienced for real, in the gallery, to feel its full power, which depends on a brilliant optical effect. The space inside the kneeling saint’s hood seems black and empty; only by looking harder do you start to see his eyes in the darkness. That journey into shadow is a genuinely spiritual shock.•National Gallery, London.

Image of the week

Taking first prize in the contemporary issues singles category at the
World Press Photo awards, Jon and Alex by Mads Nissen draws attention to the discrimination faced by gay people in Russia. Photograph: Mads Nissem/EPA/Scanpix/Panos Pictures